


All The Time In The Galaxy

by probablyjuno



Series: Juno Steel and the Pursuit of Happiness [5]
Category: The Penumbra Podcast
Genre: Other, a bit of fluff with a side plate of angst, oof this was a long time coming, they need to fucking hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-31
Updated: 2019-05-31
Packaged: 2020-03-30 23:30:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19037737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/probablyjuno/pseuds/probablyjuno
Summary: Juno cries. Peter learns to wait.





	All The Time In The Galaxy

**Author's Note:**

> “-Just a secret under lock and key until then.  
> While collecting the stars, I connected the dots.  
> I don't know who I am, but now I know who I'm not.  
> I'm just a curious speck that got caught up in orbit.  
> Like a magnet it beckoned my metals toward it.
> 
> Make my messes matter.  
> Make this chaos count.  
> Let every little fracture in me  
> Shatter out loud.”
> 
> \- “Jupiter”, by Sleeping At Last
> 
>  
> 
> (I made a Jupeter [playlist](https://open.spotify.com/user/beauty_hunter/playlist/2HHzo9dM4PGjbiUui0zgYj?si=aD5ifCooT9-jZvpaaKRYpQ%20%E2%80%A6) if you're interested <3)

Juno had begun losing hope.

Each day had been excruciatingly long. Time was so slow Juno could watch as it went by, lazy and ruthless. It didn’t care about him or his sanity - many times did the detective consider rolling out of his bed and crawling out of this godforsaken place. But the slightest movement knocked the wind out of him, so he had given up escaping and instead focused on keeping busy.  
Had he been given the chance, Juno would have picked dying right then and there, if it meant the end of his boredom. But, in an effort to improve himself, he had made a decision: his death wishes now belonged in the “no no box”.   
They were still there, but Juno didn’t nurse the darkness, and instead prioritized finding solutions. The journey was far from over, as ignoring them remained his preferred solution. But, this was still an improvement.

Ennui had quickly settled in. The detective didn’t know how to deal with cold, empty time. A knife wound? Impending doom? A Martian nuclear bomb? This, he knew what to do with. Throw yourself at life-threatening situations and they either resolved themselves or you died, and it no longer would be your concern. But… hell, this had to go inside the box too. No more dare-devil sacrifices anymore.  
However, without throwing his life away, Juno still needed cases to work on and lives to save to feel useful. There, lying on this bed, his lungs filled with aseptic air - he felt like the world could be burning and he wouldn’t know.

 

The only distractions he had had over the course of the week had been Rita’s daily visits and the few ones of Jet, Buddy, and Vespa.  
Rita was caring, as usual. She managed to keep Juno busy, because she knew him like no other. She had offered playing games - which he first scuffed at - but they were now the only reason Juno was still somewhat sane.   
As soon as she was gone, his eyes surveyed the hospital room desperately. Juno had read every word on every surfaces available, and re-reading them only amplified the degree of his frustration.

 

All the time he had left was occupied with thoughts. And Juno didn’t like thoughts. He had tried throwing them all in the “no no box”, but it quickly overflowed, and all Juno was left with was a headache.

 

During his time alone, Juno had worked on getting better. And sure enough, it had begun. Things did get better. He had eaten sand, over and over again, but every time, the detective got back to his feet. But things? They were still pretty bad.   
Juno was in the hospital, so bored he felt like gouging his other eye out. And God, he couldn’t help the stomach ache that came with every thought about Peter Nureyev. Or whatever his name was now. It didn’t matter, because Juno hated the man no matter the alias.   
Every second was torture, because his whole body ached for the thief. But reaching out, Juno had found nothing but ice against his fingers. A cold surface, foreign to his touch. He craved something that had been long lost.

Juno was getting sick. His mind always wandered back to Nureyev. He thought about the warmth of his touch, its contrast with Jet’s. He thought about the gentleness of his kisses, different from Alessandra’s roughness. He thought about his eyes, unlike anything he had ever seen. Juno had found a home in their depth, his galaxy, the world he wished to lose himself into.   
But today, Juno had started forgetting what Peter’s eyes looked like. Rose’s purple lenses had robbed him of the one thing that once gave him hope. His world had stood there, before him, but remained hidden away by lies.

 

Fuck.

Juno opened his eyes.   
A sharp shockwave of pain had shot through his abdomen. His rest was painful, difficult for him not to move. Juno felt restless and kept accidentally pushing against his wound. 

His eyesight adjusted to the low-lit room, and his consciousness slowly filled his head. Slivers of light escaped a small lamp hanging over the bed, keeping the darkness at bay. It was enough to illuminate the new shape in his room.  
There, on a chair against the wall was a figure, leaning against its back.

“Nureyev?”

The name escaped Juno’s lips. His voice was feeble and didn’t reach the man’s ears, who was asleep.

 

Peter’s frame looked uncharacteristically small. His limbs were tucked in, his clothes were plain.   
Juno’s stomach lurched, as the sight brought memories back. The thief looked vulnerable, and tender, like he had the night they had spent together. Juno remembered feeling Peter against him, with no mask or artifice. He was there again, after so long held away from Juno. The mere thought of the thief near him produced warmth in Juno’s belly, spreading all the way to his throat.

Peter’s features were relaxed, his face free from the weight of any mask. Juno had no doubt anymore, this was the real man. This was Peter Nureyev.

Parts of him didn’t want to stir him awake. But after losing him once, Juno simply couldn’t wait one more minute. He had waited long enough, and now was the time. He needed to know why Peter was here.

“Nureyev”, he whispered again.

At his name, the man’s head gently shifted. His eyes painfully fluttered open, his entire consciousness assaulted by the very existence of the world around him. God, he looked exhausted.  
His gaze idly swept the room, until his eyes met Juno, who was staring back at him with intent. Peter looked past him for a little. The detective felt like a ghost, or maybe a dream.   
But he knew when the thief realized Juno was very real. His features tensed into surprise, and he jumped to his feet clumsily.

“Juno!” As soon as his feet touched the ground, Peter’s attitude changed. He had wrestled out of sleep with enviable ease, and was very much aware of the detective’s presence. He straightened up and regained his trademark poise. The mask was back on but… it felt different. Juno couldn’t say how, but he knew something was unlike Duke Rose or Rex Glass.

 

“What are you doing here?” The detective’s voice was colder than he had wanted. But hell, it had taken so long for Peter to visit, and they hadn’t exactly left on the best of terms. Juno found no reason to apologize for it. 

Peter’s brows lowered over his eyes. The thief wasn’t wearing his lenses. Juno could recognize the familiar depth of his gaze. The darkness of their color and the light that filled them brought Juno back home. He felt his heart leap.

“Juno. I... .”

The detective’s look was harsh. Fuck, every part of him begged him to throw himself into Peter’s arms. His accent was gone, his voice was soft, and the thief looked sheepish. But Juno didn’t want to give in. This had to be done if things were to ever get better.

 

Peter looked around and fidgeted with a piece of paper. Juno could see the words on the cusp of his lips, all the things he wished he would say but swallowed back. Eventually, the thief finally spoke. 

“I am terribly sorry.”

The sentence rang in the room’s emptiness. The tone was genuine and something about the look in Peter’s eyes broke every bit of Juno that had been mad at him.   
The detective propped himself up on the bed. It didn’t matter - he would hold with his hands the shattered pieces of Mad Juno and would be angry at him for just a few seconds, even if he himself had to bleed for it. This was all in the aim of better healing.

 

“What for? I have a list if you want.”

Peter didn’t laugh - he knew Juno, and the words were sharp as glass. Anybody could have guessed the detective was on the brink of an explosion. Whether it would be of tears or shouts remained to be seen. 

Peter stayed immobile in the center of the room. He was still holding that note in his hands.

“I’m sorry for not visiting. For being… an ass.”

Juno looked away. His eyes wandered the room, before focusing back on Peter.

“Fuck you.”

Peter sighed. Not out of frustration, but of relief. He knew this was to be a difficult moment, but Juno had the right to be angry. They couldn’t hold back anymore. They needed to fix this.

“Juno, I-”

Juno raised a hand firmly. His jaws tensed and he stared right at Peter, with fire in his eyes.

“Shut up and let me talk.”

Peter nodded. Juno took a breath in and began.

“Fuck you. Fuck your apologies. Fuck your sad eyes. You know why? Because I, Juno fucking Steel, don’t get to be angry at you, okay?” His voice cracked, and with it Peter’s heart. Juno shook his head and exhaled feverishly. The daggers in his eyes were gone, and instead, the sharpness seemed to nip at his own flesh now.  
“I left you. You should have been angry. Hell Nureyev, you should be angry, goddamnit.”

Peter wanted to cut in, but Juno was now crying. The thief had had his own catharsis today, it was the detective’s turn now. So he let him speak and respectfully listened.

 

“And I guess that’s why I was mad at you. Listen, I’ve spent my entire life screaming at myself. And… shit, I’ve been trying to get better, but there’s still a part of me that wants to be burned. So maybe that’s why I was so desperate for you to hate me, to yell at me. I wanted your anger to destroy me.”

Juno could barely keep speaking, his voice interrupted by sobs, his voice straining. But he continued nonetheless.

“But you didn’t break me. And fuck, it was your own way of being angry. And I should have gotten that, but I also was so fucking desperate to show you that you shouldn’t keep hurting because of what I had done to you. I wanted you to burn me so you wouldn’t get consumed from the inside.” 

He took a second to catch his breath, tears soaking his bedsheets. 

“So shut up and hear me: you have the right to be angry, any way you fucking please. You have the right to hide behind whatever name you want. You have the right to never talk to me, ever again. But please, just… please believe that I didn’t mean to hurt you and that I’ve learned and that you didn’t, and never will, deserve what I did. Don’t hate yourself because of me.”

The last few words had barely escaped his lips, his voice now gone. Juno was shaking uncontrollably, and it felt like his lungs were shrinking. Letting go had felt relieving, but every part of himself was now exposed to the world, and God he was terrified. It felt like the thoughts inside his head and his heart beating and the blood in his veins were alien, and slowly killing him from within.

 

Peter quickly walked towards the bed. 

“Juno…” He whispered his name, catching the detective’s attention, even in the middle of his panic. But Juno couldn't look at him. His eye felt like a bug, clawing at his flesh.

 

The thief laid his hands on the bed and hummed.

It didn’t require Juno much energy to hum back in approval. So Peter gently threw his legs up on the bed and laid against the detective, careful as to not hurt him.

 

Juno was still shaking, but the warmth of Peter’s body against his side felt reassuring. The taste of spices overwhelmed him as the perfume hit his nostrils, so Juno focused on it and lost himself in the fragrance. Soon, his every sense had concentrated on Peter: his cologne, his heartbeat, his skin, his face. The thief was all there was. 

 

Peter had closed his eyes, and his head was resting on Juno’s shoulder. He had laid down his weapons. The two were at peace again.

 

Time was a funny thing.   
Juno’s mind couldn’t have been emptier, his every cells aware of his own existence. But with Nureyev beside him, the minutes flew past  
.  
After what felt like a few heartbeats, Peter gently pushed back, just enough to look at Juno.

“Juno.”

His voice was low and ushered. Those words were theirs only, this moment was their secret.

“Juno. I need time.”

The detective slowly nodded. He gathered energy to answer back.

“We have all the time in the world. Yeah?”

Peter smiled fondly. No sharp teeth, no edges - this was much softer and intimate than anything Juno had ever seen. Nureyev placed his hand on the detective’s cheek. Something sad twisted his features.

“You hurt me, Juno.”

Juno nodded gravely. 

“But… I don’t think you were ready. And I should have given you time. But… there is no way for me to know if you ever will be ready. God, Juno. I don’t know what to do… I just…”

“Peter.”

Peter looked at him again. His eyes were filled with tears.

“I’ll wait for you.”

Tears began streaming down the thief’s face.

“If you’ll have me, I’ll be here and ready to try again. But please, care about yourself for now. We have all the time in the fucking galaxy.”

Juno painfully raised his arm and wiped the tears off of Peter’s face.

“Yes?”, he asked.

The thief smiled softly in return.

“Yes”, he echoed.

 

Juno felt tears filling his eyes again as Peter left his side a few minutes later. And just like that, he was gone again.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi hi Travelers! I hope you are all doing well. Thank you for reading another chapter of this series, I truly appreciate it. There will be two released chapters today cause why not! (follow me on Tumblr @probablyjunofics for updates)
> 
> Thanks to @DaineVin, as always, for being o so wonderful and helping me edit, for inspiring me and being an all-around fantastic friend<3


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